One of the first breakthrough films for legendary director Chang Cheh (one of Shaw Brothers’ greatest and most prolific assets), One Armed Swordsman functions as a sort of Dr. No for the SB studio, as it lays out many of the tropes later featured in wuxia martial arts classics to come. An orphan having a rough time at school gets his arm chopped off by his classmates, which means he’ll embark on a very complicated relationship with violence before he becomes — well, look at the title. The “disabled fighter” concept that eventually went nuts in Five Deadly Venoms got its start here, along with the thoughtful philosophy that became the backbone of the genre. With a heavy body count, wicked swordplay and a truly outstanding anti-hero, One Armed Swordsman is the best way to kick off this retrospective. The evening’s secret second Shaw Brothers feature will also be on 35mm!The One-Armed Swordsman Dir. Chang Cheh, 1967, 35mm, 117 min.